I am so into Indonesian auto-biography novels. I had ever written how much i like Laskar Pelangi and Negeri Lima Menara series. I love to read or listen other people's success stories: how they struggled and succeed, their ups and downs. I like real stories better than fiction.
So, right after my big exam some months ago i bought a really, really good novel. It is the last novel of Negeri Lima Menara Trilogy. I think this book is the best between the three books of the trilogy. And i am so thankful that i read that book at the right time, right at the time i needed it the most. This book is so inspiring for me. Ahmad Fuadi, the writer, wrote his hope on writing his last novel:
"Bagi anda yang sedang heboh mencari kerja, yang sedang harap-harap cemas menanti jodoh dan yang sedang berjuang mencari makna hidup. Mungkin novel ini bisa jadi penggelora pencarian-pencarian besar itu" (Fuadi, 2013).
Well, I can say that his hope is coming true, at least for one of his readers. Me :)
I want to emphasize again that i think i read (verb-2) this novel at the right time. That times, I was about to graduate from university and i was questioning many things. Some big, fundamental things regarding my future and I was confused. This novel was kind of..inspiring and saving me, haha.
This novel, just like the two previous novel, tells us about Alif's life, adapted from Ahmad Fuadi's real life stories. This novel tells his life after he finished his glorious university years (due to his hard work and determination he had been joining student exchange program and earned some great experiences and achievements). Yep, he had to go back to Indonesia to get a job because he should support his mother and his sister financially. Unfortunately for him, he graduated in the wrong time. The time that Indonesia had a monetary crisis and political instability, so it was so hard to find a job. He caught in debt. Once a multinational company would hire him, but before he even started working, he was fired due to economic and political instability. I could imagine how he felt at that time. I think I know exactly how he felt, haha. He was the best student in his class, yet he got rejected everywhere. He had to face rejection, desperation and debt collector...reading his story, I couldn't help but think that I am luckier, at least my financial condition is better than his. My parents are perfectly capable of supporting me. But to get a job is not just about the money and financial independence, right?
Well, everything happens for a reason. For Alif, the reason why he didn't make it to that multinational company was because Allah had made a beautiful scenario for his life. He ended up got a job as a journalist in a well-known idealist media. A job that brought him to the love of his life. Yup, he met Dinara, a woman journalist and fell in love with her. The first time he looked into her eyes, he couldn't get his mind off her. They came from different background. Alif was a new journalist whose salary had to be shared with his mother and sisters; yet Dinara was a rich people's daughter. But they had tons of meaningful yet fun conversations and got to know each other better. Alif then found out that Dinara was not another trendy girl. She was different. Tons of conversations later brought them closer than ever and eventually everyone in their office knew that there was something special between them.
Just when everything about them seemed right, Alif had to go to United States to pursue his dream to study there. Knowing he was about to go to US, Dinara pulled back from him. She didn't even talked to him and acted so aloof until his last day in Indonesia. Honestly, I cried on the last paragraph of page 193, haha. Does everyone in their 20-s have to experience that feeling? Galau, ragu, takut, bingung, ingin menyerah? Maybe.
Thank God, just before he left for his flight, DInara told him, "call me!". He thought about her and her last message on his flight and called her right after he landed in US. Long story short, Alif said that he felt so close to her regardless the fact that they were on two different sides of the world. They communicated via e-mail, chat and phone call. But deep down, Alif felt unsure about their relationship. He called their relationship by "Undefined Long Distance Relationship", a phrase he coined by himself. That was until he attended a pengajian in Indonesian Embassy titled "Lima Langkah Mencari Jodoh dan Memulai Rumah Tangga". Allah has always make a way to make something happens. Allah will grant our wishes, at his own time, by his own style. Kun Fayakun, Alif proposed to DInara via webchat and after negotiating with Dinara's parents, they got married in Indonesia.
After marriage, Alif and Dinara went to US. Ahmad Fuadi conveyed that marriage is not easy. Life doesn't magically turn beautiful, fairy tale-like stories after marriage. After their first fight, Alif found out that marriage really is about sharing and understanding, not about asking and hoping. Together, they faced everything in their life. Just like Billy Joel's song, they took the good times and bad times. Together, they live their live for one purpose, God. The Entirely Merciful, The Sovereign. Muara segala muara.
"Hidupku kini ibarat mengayuh biduk membelah samudra hidup. Selamanya akan naik-turun dilamun gelombang dam ditampar badai. Tapi aku tidak akan merengek pada air, pada angin, dan pada tanah. Yang membuat aku kukuh adalah aku tahu ke mana tujuan akhirku di ujung cakrawala. Dan aku tahu aku tidak sendiri. Di atas sana, ada Tuhan yang menjadi tempat jiwa ragaku sepenuhnya bertumpu. Di sampingku ada Dinara. Temanku merengkuh dayung menuju muara. Muara di atas muara. Muara segala muara" (Fuadi, 2013).
I have read this novel several times, over and over again everytime I feel like I need. Sometimes, I compare my own stories with Alif's stories. I haven't reached my final conclusion about my life, and I probably won't reach it immediately. But I will keep walking for my life, or keep running for that matter, if it is what it takes. Because "man saara ala darbi washala", siapapun yang berjalan di jalannya akan sampai di tujuan. Whoever walks in his/her way will eventually reach his/her destination.
Thank you Ahmad Fuadi, for sharing your life stories through this beautifully written novel. I might not have reached my destination(s) yet, but I am sure I will. Because I will keep walking and I have Allah With me :)
References:
Fuadi, A., 2013, Rantau 1 Muara, Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta
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